Israel targets syrian sites near presidential palace amid rising sectarian tensions

Department of Research, Studies and International News 02-05-2025

In a dramatic escalation of regional tensions, Israel has carried out a series of airstrikes near Syria’s presidential palace in Damascus, an act Israeli officials framed as a strategic warning to the newly established Syrian leadership. The strikes come in the wake of fierce clashes involving Syria’s Druze minority and forces loyal to the government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz released a joint statement following the early Friday strikes, emphasizing that the military action was a direct message aimed at deterring any aggression against the Druze community in Syria. The statement underscored Israel’s red lines, particularly concerning the deployment of hostile forces south of Damascus or any threats to the Druze population.

“The Syrian regime must understand clearly: we will not tolerate threats to the Druze community or the positioning of hostile elements near our borders,” read the statement issued by the Israeli government.

Israel’s military confirmed that fighter aircraft conducted precise strikes in proximity to the palace of President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, though specific targets and damage assessments were not disclosed.

The backdrop to this confrontation involves a rapidly deteriorating security situation in and around the Syrian capital. Tensions erupted on Tuesday after a controversial audio recording surfaced online, in which derogatory remarks were allegedly made about the Prophet Muhammad. Though the authenticity of the clip remains in question, and some suspect it may have been fabricated, it sparked outrage among Sunni communities. The speaker was reportedly a Druze cleric, leading to violent reprisals and a series of deadly skirmishes.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, 56 people have died in the areas of Sahnaya and the predominantly Druze suburb of Jaramana near Damascus. The fatalities include members of local militias and government security personnel.

In a rare public condemnation, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community, accused the Syrian government of carrying out what he termed an “unprovoked genocidal assault” against Druze civilians. He also blamed extremist factions within the government apparatus, namely those linked to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a coalition of Islamist groups, for the violence.

The Druze, an esoteric religious minority that emerged in the 10th century as a breakaway sect from Ismaili Shiite Islam, number around one million globally. The majority reside in Syria, particularly in the southern province of Sweida and the outskirts of Damascus. Significant Druze communities also live in neighboring Lebanon and in Israel, particularly within the Golan Heights, a region seized by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and unilaterally annexed in 1981.

The Syrian government has denied involvement in the recent violence against the Druze. However, this comes against the backdrop of widespread human rights violations, including a series of massacres reported in March, in which over 1,700 civilians, predominantly from President Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite community, were killed by pro-government forces and allied militias.

On Thursday, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani issued a statement advocating for national unity and rejecting foreign interference. “Calls for external intervention, regardless of the justification, only deepen the fragmentation and worsen the crisis,” he stated on social media platform X.

In a significant show of unity, Druze elders, militia leaders, and community representatives met in Sweida and reaffirmed their loyalty to the Syrian nation. A spokesperson declared that the Druze community is “an indivisible part of the unified Syrian homeland” and firmly opposes any moves toward secession or federalism.

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December, Israel has intensified its military operations in Syria, targeting what it claims are weapon stockpiles and military infrastructure that pose a threat to regional stability. Israeli forces have also advanced into parts of the Golan Heights previously designated as demilitarized zones, reclaiming terrain formerly controlled by Syrian troops.

Analysts in Israel suggest that this multi-pronged strategy serves dual objectives: weakening the new Syrian regime and fostering alliances with minority groups such as the Druze, who could act as future strategic partners. However, the approach is not without critics, some of whom argue that a stabilized Syria would better serve Israel’s long-term interests.

In a notable diplomatic development, President Ahmed al-Sharaa reportedly told a visiting U.S. congressional delegation that his administration seeks to establish normalized relations with Israel, an overture that could significantly reshape regional dynamics.

Meanwhile, the conflict’s reverberations are being felt beyond Syria. In Israel, members of the local Druze community staged protests on Thursday night, briefly blocking roads and calling on the government to ensure the safety of their Syrian counterparts.

Further escalating regional instability, air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel on Friday as missile defense systems intercepted a projectile believed to have been launched from Yemen. The Houthi movement, supported by Iran and engaged in hostilities with Israel since the onset of the war in Gaza 18 months ago, is suspected to be behind the attack.